Gordon Stefaniuk of Coos Bay ascends a staircase between sets at a benefit concert Friday at the Egyptian Theatre. The theater is trying to raise $40,000 to build an ADA-compliant restroom. - World Photo by Alex Powers

COOS BAY — When it’s time to go, no one likes to hold it.

But for movie-goers who can’t climb two flights of stairs to the facilities at the Egyptian Theatre, that’s often what they have to do.

Instead of allowing patrons to continue to suffer until intermission, officials from the Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association are working to build a handicap-accessible restroom on the first floor of the 1920s movie house.

Those efforts began in earnest Friday night, when the theater held a musical performance, featuring clarinet player Aaron Johnson, pianist Ida Jo Gates and Soprano Maranda Childs, to raise money for the project.

Bandon resident Judy Swenson remembered what a problem it was years ago, when she and her mother would visit the Egyptian.

“We just had to wait, or else she’d have to leave the theater,” Swenson, 69, said. “She just knew she couldn’t go to the restroom while she was here.”

At the beginning of Friday night’s show, Rick Shearer, the fundraising director for the Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association, told the crowd the focus and importance of this latest effort.

“Elderly people like myself who have bad knees don’t like to climb stairs,” Shearer told the crowd, primarily made up of the older set.

Association officials are well aware the theater should comply with ADA requirements to provide handicap-accessible bathrooms. But, building one on the first floor is also about the financial bottom line, especially in a theater that shows films from the 1940s and ’50s, the fundraising director said.

“We recognize from our own attendance that having access for handicapped and elderly people — that’s a good share of our target market,” Shearer said.

In addition to events such as the one held Friday night, Shearer said the association hopes to get the bathroom built by applying for a grant and through in-kind services from local plumbers and contractors. He added that fundraising and construction will begin prior to when the grant might be awarded. The project is expected to cost $40,000 to 60,000, and should be completed by mid-2009.

So far, two spots have been identified for the future restroom. One potential location is in the back left side of the main theater and would include part of the lobby. This option would mean taking out the first two rows of seating  — about 20 seats — on that side. Shearer said losing that many chairs wouldn’t be a big deal in the 500-seat theater, especially since balcony seating adds another 300.

The other, less desirable option would be to take a portion of the concession stand and the kitchen behind it to create the restroom. While plumbing is already available in that spot, decreasing the kitchen and concession stand could turn problematic if big crowds come to the cinema.

The decision will be up to a volunteer architect who is helping with the project, Shearer said.

“The problem is, we don’t want to destroy the integrity of the design of the theater,” Shearer said. “Everything needs to be as unobtrusive as possible.”

Since the association took over the Egyptian more than two years ago, Shearer remembers helping several people to nearby restrooms. He said he once took a person through the theater’s alley to Puerto Vallarta for a restroom.

The theater also is in the process of adding a natural gas heater, funded by a Coquille Tribal Community Fund grant, to make theater-goers more comfortable.

Volunteer Doris Parker, 67, said a lot of seniors come to the Egyptian, and she believes more will do so when the new bathroom is installed.

“I think it’s great because there’s a lot of people, they’re handicapped and they can’t get up the stairs,” Parker said.

During the show’s intermission, Coos Bay residents John Whitty and Bob Macy stood outside under the glowing lights of the theater’s marquee. The two older men lauded the idea.

“The Egyptian Theatre is a gem. We’ve attended here for years and years,” Macy said.

Whitty said he saw his first movie at the theater in 1939, and wouldn’t relish quitting the movie house in the future.

“We’re lucky enough that we don’t have to use motorized vehicles or walkers, but who knows when we might,” Whitty said.